Since literally hanging up his cleats earlier this year, Marshawn Lynch has been the gift that keeps giving. There was the time he was ghost riding a camel while in Egypt. What about the time he made former President Bill Clinton throw up the North Oakland sign before taking a picture with him? How could we not mention his unforgettable appearance on Running Wild with Bear Grylls? Even as Beast Mode continues to enjoy his post-retirement life, he's always got time to help out the kids.
Lynch's former Seattle Seahawks teammate Breno Giacomini shared a story about how Beast Mode helped turn a kid's life around during a trip to Istanbul, Turkey. Giacomini is a co-founder of American Football Without Barriers which hosts a free football camp around the world. After successful runs in China and Brazil, the AFWB held their biggest camp in Istanbul with over 1,000 campers.
During the camp in Istanbul, the New York Jets offensive tackle remembers seeing a kid struggling with the drills, and growing frustrated with his poor play. Lynch took the kid to side, and spoke "for about an hour and a half" with him. "This kid came back and was on fire," Giacomini recalls. "I don't know what Marshawn said to him, but he didn't miss another ball, he didn't miss another step, he changed instantly. You can see it."
The kid's mother contacted American Football Without Barriers after the camp to thank Lynch for turning her son's life around. "She just wanted to thank Marshawn because this kid was going down the wrong path," Giacomini said. "[She] just spoke about how much this kid's life has already changed in three days, for the good, just by having a role model talk to him."
Send all complaints, compliments, and tips to sportstips@complex.com.
